Unlocking the Synergy of Corn Starch and Diverse Gums to Develop Chocolate Fillings: Pre- and Post-Baking Assessment...

Conventional starch-based chocolate fillings often exhibit retrogradation, poor rheology, and low thermal stability. To address these limitations, this study developed chocolate fillings using corn starch (CS) combined with five gums such as xanthan gum (XG), guar gum (GG), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), locust bean gum (LBG), and carrageenan (CARRA) to enhance their functional and thermal properties for croissant applications. Dynamic frequency sweep analysis indicated that gum incorporation substantially improved the viscoelastic behavior of CS-based chocolate fillings, with the CS-CMC blend demonstrating the highest structural stability even post-baking. Temperature sweep rheology (25-90°C) further showed that CS-CMC possessed the greatest structural stability, maintaining G' > G″ across the range. CS-XG followed, whereas CS-LBG, CS-GG, CS-CARRA, and CS shifted toward liquid-like behavior at higher temperatures. The baking stability index (BSI) of chocolate fillings formulated with CS was 80%, but increased to 85.8-96.8% when CS was blended with gums. Syneresis decreased substantially: from 7.6% to 1.12-5.96% in the without baking condition and from 4.25% to 0.96-2.74% after baking, with the CS-CMC blend showing the greatest improvement. Without baking, chocolate fillings showed TPC of 141.54-165.38 mg GAE/100 g and antioxidant activity of 64.52-70.58%. After baking, these values decreased slightly to 135.54-160.85 mg GAE/100 g and 58.58-68.79%. Croissants filled with these formulations exhibited enhanced antioxidant potential and reduced firmness. Overall, CS-CMC was identified as the most effective gum-starch combination for producing thermally stable, nutritionally enriched, and consumer-preferred chocolate fillings.